Baseball's Best Decade (20 page)

In the 1940s and 1950s, Stan Musial won the National League slugging championship 6 times. His career-best slugging average came in 1948 at .702. That same season Musial led the NL in batting average, RBIs, hits, doubles and triples … and won his third MVP.

Pirates outfielder Ralph Kiner led the National League in slugging average twice in the 1940s and in 1951. Kiner led the National League in home runs for 7 consecutive seasons, 1946-1952.

The Cleveland Indians finished second to the Yankees in slugging for the 1950s, but produced 3 league leaders in slugging average during the decade: (left to right) Larry Doby (1952), Al Rosen (1953) and Rocky Colavito (1958).

1950s –
The Brooklyn Dodgers finally dethroned the New York Yankees after a three-decade reign as the major leagues’ best slugging team. With the decade’s top 2 home run and RBI hitters (Duke Snider and Gil Hodges), the Dodgers topped the senior circuit in slugging 6 times, from 1950 to 1955. The Yankees led the American League in slugging 7 times during the 1950s.

Who almost made the list?
Cleveland Indians at .400, St. Louis Cardinals at .399, Chicago Cubs at .394.

1960s –
The best hitters of the 1960s found a way to still be effective against the outstanding pitching that was characteristic of the decade. The everyday hitters didn’t fare as well, however, as was reflected in anemic team slugging averages that rivaled those of the talent-depleted 1940s. In fact, the combined major league slugging average of .374 for the 1960s was only 10 percentage points higher than the .364 average for the 1940s – and 17 percentage points lower than the combined slugging average for the 1950s.

Who almost made the list?
Baltimore Orioles at .383, St. Louis Cardinals at .382, New York Yankees at .380.

1970s –
The .400 slugging average that eluded everyone in the 1960s was achieved by four clubs over the course of the 1970s. However, the rest of the teams in the 1970s fared only slightly better than the previous decade, with a combined slugging average of .377 compared to .374 for all major league teams in the 1960s. The Boston Red Sox led the American League in slugging average 5 times during the decade. The Chicago Cubs, while posting the highest National League average for the decade, never led the senior circuit in single-season slugging average. The Pittsburgh Pirates led the league 4 times, and the Los Angeles Dodgers led 3 times.

Who almost made the list?
Detroit Tigers at .384, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies at .383.

Team Slugging
Averages for Each Decade (1980s-2000s)

1980s –
Slugging efficiency continued to rise in the 1980s, as the major leagues as a whole recorded a .388 slugging average for the decade, 11 percentage points higher than the 1970s. With the designated hitter available for the entire decade, American League clubs dominated the slugging category, with the top 13 positions held by junior circuit teams. Only the Cleveland Indians, among American League teams, finished behind the Chicago Cubs, whose .388 slugging average was best among the National Leaguers. The Boston Red Sox led the American League in slugging average 4 times during the decade.

Who almost made the list?
Kansas City Royals at .399, Baltimore Orioles at .397, California Angels at .393.

1990s –
For the first time in baseball history, the combined slugging average for the major leagues topped .400, with a .407 average for the decade. Altogether, 16 teams topped the .400 plateau, while 11 more reached .390 or better.

Who almost made the list?
Arizona Diamondbacks at .430, New York Yankees at .425, Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles at .422.